Ribbons on my Fingers

Jess writes:

Needless to say, I miss good ol' clam chowder (Cape Cod style, of course). The funny thing is, I didn't realize how much I missed good ol' clam chowder until our recent trip back to Massachusetts in October. I can honestly say that growing up, the smell of that creamy concoction wouldn't have made me blink an eye, and yet, our first afternoon in Concord, the mere whiff of that cup-o-wonderfulness made me swoon. Quite seriously.

I guess its got me thinking about what we miss in our day-to-day lives... and more importantly, what we forget to miss. (How could I have ever forgotten about the everyday beauty of Cape Cod clam chowder?) So I realize now, with our days to departure drawing nearer, that I am far more conscious of such things than in the past. That is, when I have gone someplace for an extended time before, I have been very aware of what I might miss, but never very aware of what I might forget to miss. It's a funny concept...

On my first trip to France - at a precarious age of 16 - I was very aware that I would miss talking to my friends for two to three hours every night and I would become quickly aware that my hair dryer was not compatible. And yet, even after that short trip, it was the feel of my dog's fur that made me feel most at home when I returned.

When I left for college - at a horribly more precarious age of 18 - I was certain that the lack of my own washer/dryer (and mom's help!) and a full fridge would be the greatest possible misery of life away. But after three months away, it was the way my body sank perfectly into the couch cushions to watch a family movie that reminded most of home.

Perhaps the most obvious examples are those that are most foreign - a year abroad, a trip to the other side of the world - these were months and years when it seemed like such a long, long time to be so far, far away. And at times, I missed everything about home. But still, I was always astonished at how much I had forgotten to miss when I returned... the smell of BBQ's, the ease of talking, the chill of air conditioning, driving a car (ha!)!!

And while Paris and Asia may seem the most exotic, the period of time spent "away" from some "home" that has struck me the most has been my time here, in Illinois. It is the first time, in my life, that I have felt the full effect of those things that I had forgotten to miss. And it wasn't until that trip back to Massachusetts that I found myself saying aloud, "Oh, I hadn't thought about ____(fill_in_the_memory)_____ in ____(fill_in_the_number)____ years!" It turns out, those statements kinda throw you off a bit...

So what's the point?

Well, I've come to realize that those super, uber important icons of home that we forget to miss aren't lost because of a lack of past memories, but quite the opposite, because of the creation of new ones. The last few years have helped me to realize that we spend a lot of our lives creating new "homes" wherever we go, and the great deal of time and effort that goes into that process leaves little room in our limited space that we call a memory for all the nuances of our previous "homes".

Thus, and most importantly, these last few years have taught me that because those super, uber important icons of home fade, we must be diligent about returning home, or to our many homes, in order to remember. So that the creation of a new home doesn't entirely replace the very special place of our homes before... So that the smell of stewing clam chowder doesn't fall so far to the past that we can't recognize its unique place in our life...

It reminds me: Before one departure, my mom bought me a placard that read, "Go out and see the world, but come home for love." I realize now how very important that sentiment is. We go out to college, to travel, to serve... but we come home for family, for friends, for memories... We come home for "home".

I look forward to our new home in South Africa... but I also look forward to those return trips home - to revisiting, in their various locations, the small pieces of ourselves that remain a part of those places and that remind us to miss them so carefully. Simply put, I look forward to remembering what I have forgotten to miss, so that I can miss it lovingly again.

Tech Saavy? Not Always?

Jess Writes:

So we know the whole two-people-one-blog-lots-to-say thing is a little confusing for family and friends. So we are trying a new system for our blog:

First things first, we're just going to start adding "Jess Writes:" or "Adam Writes:" to the top of every blog - that should alleviate basic confusion - ha! Also, we now have two connected eBlogger accounts, which means that the "authorship" of the blog (found at the very bottom of any post) will differentiate between myself and Adam. For example, all the old posts (including this one) will says "Posted by Jess at such-and-such-time". From now on, posts from Adam will says "Posted by Adam at such-and-such-time" at the bottom. We are also working on figuring out how to add our eBlogger profile picture to the beginning of each post, but no promises there.

Hope this helps to alleviate the guessing game!!!

Holiday Season

Hey everyone, it's Adam here. I would like to start this post by saying thank you to everyone that was able to attend the going away festivities. Jess and I were so happy to spend some time surrounded by our friends and family.

That brings me to what I wanted to talk about in this post: time. Being in the thick of the holiday season with the countdown to Christmas having begun, I am all of a suden accutely aware of exactly how much time Jess and I have left with family and friends, or rather how little time we have left. And as I have been thinking about this almost constantly over the last week as we enjoyed an amazing two day long Thanksgiving, I felt that I would put fingers to my keypad and let it out.

I can not begin to express to all of you how anxious and excited I am to depart for South Africa. There is the joy of knowing that our dreams have at last come true. There is the relief that all of our work and sacrifice have paid off. But there is something more that makes me anxious to leave. There is a drive deep inside of me to be in a culture entirely dissimilar to my own, to reach that state of culture shock that makes me wonder what it is I am doing there. It is those moments that I can hardly wait for. In those moments I will know for sure that all of this is really happening.

Though a part of me is so anxious to depart, there is the other part of me that is thinking of all the things I would like to do and all of the people that I would like to do them with before time runs out. Every decision that I make about what to do with my time has become a an important one. I don't want to waste a single moment that I have left. With dates already scheduled throughout December time feels shorter still. There is, in a more urgent way than ever before, so much to do and so little time. I am trying to spend as much quality time with my family as I can. Also, I am trying to make time to spend with friends, almost like stocking up on memories and coversation to last me through the coming drought. There is research and language lessons for the Peace Corps as well as slowly but surely assembling the stuff we need to bring with us. Then there is getting ready for the holidays with decorations and outings and such. Finally there are the tasks that suddenly seem mundane or almost pointless in light of the situation, like paying those last few bills.

It is an interesting paradox where every day taht passes takes away time that I desperately need in order to fit everything in and yet I am also exited that I am another day closer to departure. Even now I want to say that I hope departure comes quickly so the inner turmoil will end and yet I want time to slow a bit so that I can catch up. I think that at this point I can only begin to seize every oppurtunity to spend time with people and live like time is up, because I know that soon it will be.

On Our Way To Being Truly Official

Hey everyone, it's Adam. Just wanted to make a final update before the going away party. Today Jess and I sent of our applications for Peace Corps passports and South African visas (thanks to K.C. for dropping them off to FedEx for us). Not the most exciting thing but it is another, and very important, step towards departure. We also sent our resumes and aspiration statements to the South Africa country desk. This is the first thing that the country directors will learn about us, so it's kinda like our new bosses meeting us for the first time. So that's kind of exciting. Of course the most exciting news is the going away party tomorrow. We are both so excited to see all of you that can make it. We are truly looking forward to spending the day celebrating with you. Stay tuned for more updates.

It's Official...

Yesterday afternoon, Jess and I received our Invitation Kit from Peace Corps and, FINALLY, it's official! We will leave for 27 months of service in South Africa on January 28, 2010!!!!!!!!

SOME RANDOM SERVICE DETAILS (because we know you'll ask)...

• We will be stationed in one of the following provinces: 1. KwaZulu Natal (province on the eastern Indian ocean seaboard, bordering Mozambique & Swaziland), 2. Limpopo (northeastern province, home of Kruger National Park, bordering Mozambique, Zimbabwe & Botswana), Mpumalanga (between the previous two, bordering Mozambique only), or the Northwest Province (fittingly, in the northwestern region, bordering Botswana only).
• We will be working in the HIV/AIDS sector, doing outreach with our assigned communities. More specifically, we will be focusing on work with youth, CBOs (Community Based Organizations), and NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations).
• Important dates (locations):
  Staging Dates: Jan. 28th-29th, 2010 (Washington, D.C... we think)
  Training Dates: Jan. 30th-March 29th, 2010 (Pretoria area)
  Service Dates: March 30th, 2010-March 29th, 2012 (To be determined during Training)

SOUTH AFRICA DETAILS (because you might be interested)...

• South Africa is 1,233,404 sq. km, slightly larger than California & Texas combined (Lonely Planet, Africa Edition)
• South Africa is home to "one of the most magnificent groupings of wildlife anywhere on the planet" (Lonely Planet, Africa Edition), including over 800 types of birds. More specifically, South Africa is best known for "The Big 5", which are: 1. Black Rhino, 2. Cape Buffalo, 3. African Elephant, 4. Leopard, 5. Lion. As well as some other favorites - the Hippo, the Giraffe, the White Rhino, and the Cheetah. In addition, South Africa is less famous for another animal grouping, "The Little 5", which are: 1. Rhinoceros Beatle, 2. Buffalo Weaver, 3. Elephant Shrew, 4. Leopard Tortoise, 5. Ant Lion. (He he he!!! We like those!)
• Unfortunately, South Africa also plays host to the world's worst HIV/AIDS pandemic. South Africa is ranked #12 (out of 222) for countries with the highest death rates, with HIV/AIDS as the #1 cause of death in the entire country (CIA World Factbook).

SOME RANDOM RELATED LINKS (because you'll be bored at work sometime)...

• Lonely Planet (South Africa Page): http://www.lonelyplanet.com/south-africa
• CIA World Factbook (South Africa Page): https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sf.html
• Peace Corps (South Africa Page): http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.wherepc.africa.southafrica
• Peace Corps Wiki (South Africa Page): http://www.peacecorpswiki.com/South_Africa
• Peace Corps Journals (South African Volunteers): http://www.peacecorpsjournals.com/?showcountry,sf@blog

Well that should keep everyone busy for a while, but we'll be sure to blog again soon! Keep in touch and don't hesitate to comment or email before the departure!!